After winning 2 races in the first 3 races of the 2017 Season, Martin Motorsports and Jeff James looked to be on pace to making a statement for the 2017 year that this is their year to win it all. Jeff James led the points over 2nd place in the standings by as much as 60 points early in the year. Jeff James went into a slump after the first few races in the year and losted a total of 130 points in 12 races. Jeff James just recently finished 3rd at Kansas and made up 20 points on point leader D.J. Kurtis to put Jeff James 2nd in the championship an entire race back to the point leader in the title run.

However, just recently some complications within the Martin Motorsports camp has caused Jeff James to want to leave the team at the end of the year. Martin Motorsports signed a life time contract with James at the start of the year however after some problems in Martin Motorsports between owner Luke Martin and Jeff James have caused Jeff James to want to go and do things on his own terms.

Jeff James has said, "I'm gonna leave Martin Motorsports after this year and maybe start my own team or something unless somebody wants to pick me up. I'll have a ride somewhere in the SCS next year battling for wins and championships. I'm going to get that championship for Luke and where ever I go next season I'll be busting my ass for those guys."

The owner of Martin Motorsports came out as well and said this piece, "I left it up to him. Told him I didn't wanna see him go but if he felt like he had to, he could. It's sad because this isn't the first time one of my drivers have left to go somewhere else. I don't see many teams take chances on drivers and give them shots like I have with these drivers, Jordan Davis, Jesse Turner and D.J. Kurtis just to name a few. I gave them a shot when they were a nobody and they took off in their careers with me. Jeff didn't ever have a good ride but I knew what he was capable of when I picked him up and his career sky rocketed. This is definitely going to be a blow to the team... I don't know if we did something wrong or what but I feel awful to lose him on our race team."